The official date of formation for the unit is December 26th, 2015 where Lieutenant Colonel Alexey Talalayev was named the commander of the brigade. During the
Russian invasion of Ukraine, the brigade was part of the first units to enter Ukraine, as part of its parent unit, the 1st Guards Tank Army. There was footage of abandoned
Typhoon-Ks and
Iveco LMVs with the markings of the 96th Reconnaissance Brigade. Soldiers and officers of the unit were also captured by Ukrainian forces. The
Main Directorate of Intelligence of Ukraine lists Colonel Yevgeny A. Chintsov as the current commander with Lieutenant Colonel Nikolai A. Kiselev as his deputy as of April 2022. == Commanders ==